3rd Summer of Love ” is coming “

The statistics are clear and say that the number of non-commercial parties has almost doubled from 2016 to 2018 in London alone. Are we going towards a third “Summer of Love”?
The phenomenon that is affecting London is presumably something widespread at European level. In the capital of England, 133 non-commercial parties would be held, intended as programmed musical events in 2017. These are the numbers reported by the local authorities, which in the previous year registered 70 non-commercial city parties organized by free city associations .

The notable increase in non-profit parties goes hand in hand with some phenomena that could explain why. Between 2005 and 2015, more than half of London clubs closed their doors. The average price of a pint (indicative for all spirits) has reached new peaks, while rents in London have increased by about 26% a year.

To this must be added the will through events to recover disused spaces, to go beyond the limits of the commodification of individuals, no longer simply passive users, but an active part, to be the event themselves. A mass awakening is taking place.

the co-founder of World Unknown, Andy Blake, declares:

“As far as I can see, in London there is really no shortage of party space, and they are of a fairly large variety of types, with new ones opening up continuously. You can even get a temporary license virtually anywhere these days. There are a lot of reasons why non-commercial parties have increased: people have less money, boys want to try “do-it-yourself” things, there is a general distrust towards things that seem too organized, the old organizers of raves that have never stopped doing it this way, people who like to recover really interesting buildings that become available and that could never be used otherwise “

As often happens with regard to phenomena of this type, what happens in the big cities, characterized by a more open and progressive mentality, can be a useful indicator to understand what direction the whole scene is taking.

Although still far away, the hypothesis of a third “Summer of Love” could make nostalgic and passionate fantasies. After what around 1967 saw the so-called hippies and what at the end of the 80s was characterized by the newborn Acid House and numerous rave parties, nothing forbids to imagine another, imminent summer of love.

Octopus not only believes, but is doing its best so that the third “Summer of Love” also arrives in Italy.

As always, our appeal goes to all the brothers and sisters in the world who want to contribute actively.

” The artistic gesture is also necessarily political. And it must be provocative, blunt: a storm warning. ” Octopus